Schwartz v. Pillsbury Inc.

969 F.2d 840 Barry J. SCHWARTZ, As the Trustee of the Bankruptcy Estate of John and Carol Dubravetz, John Dubravetz, Carol Dubravetz, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. PILLSBURY INC., HDF Liquidating Corp., Doris Mattus Hurley, Haagen Dazs Shoppes Co. Inc., et al., Defendants-Appellees. No. 91-55684. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued and Submitted June 4, 1992. Decided July 22, 1992. Dennis G. Martin, Ashen, Martin, Seldon, Lippman & Scillieri, Los Angeles, Cal., for plaintiffs-appellants. Craig E. Stewart, Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, San Francisco, Cal., for defendants-appellees. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Before D.W. NELSON, BOOCHEVER and THOMPSON, Circuit Judges. DAVID R. THOMPSON, Circuit Judge: OVERVIEW 1 John and Carol Dubravetz bought a Haagen Dazs ice cream shop franchise from Haagen Dazs Franchise, Inc., a New York corporation. The venture failed, and the Dubravetzes filed a petition in bankruptcy. They and the trustee of their bankruptcy estate then sued, among others, Haagen Dazs, its former president Doris Mattus Hurley, and Pillsbury, Inc., which acquired Haagen Dazs after the Dubravetzes…